The ultimate climate change FAQ + Nuclear power | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/series/the-ultimate-climate-change-faq+nuclearpower
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Is nuclear power necessary for solving climate change?https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/21/nuclear-power-necessary-climate-change
This Q&amp;A is part of the Guardian's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/series/the-ultimate-climate-change-faq">Ultimate climate change FAQ</a><br /><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/series/the-ultimate-climate-change-faq">See all questions and answers</a><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/nov/05/ultimate-climate-change-faq">Read about the project</a><p>The relative costs and benefits of nuclear energy have been the subject of heated debate in recent years thanks to a combination of factors, including the need to cut carbon emissions and the 2011 accident at Fukushima, Japan. Critics argue that nuclear is not only dangerous but also unnecessary for tackling climate change; supporters claim the risks are small and that abandoning nuclear would make an already huge challenge even harder and more expensive.</p><p>One thing that's clear is that decarbonising electric power will be critical for solving climate change. Even assuming big gains in efficiency, the world will need about <a href="http://www.iea.org/publications/energytechnologyperspectives/">twice as much</a> electricity in 2050 as it does today. The problem is that, <a href="http://www.iea.org/Textbase/npsum/weo2011sum.pdf">as of today</a>, most of the world's electricity comes from coal (40%) and gas (20%), with hydroelectric (16%) and nuclear (13%) by far the largest low-carbon sources. In Europe most of the new generating capacity being added today is low-carbon wind. In China, the world's largest energy consumer, most of the new capacity is coal, although <a href="http://www.wri.org/stories/2011/03/how-does-chinas-12th-five-year-plan-address-energy-and-environment">it is also</a> the world's largest investor in both wind and nuclear. <a href="http://www.iea.org/Textbase/npsum/weo2011sum.pdf">Worldwide,</a> the majority of new capacity is still coal or gas.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/21/nuclear-power-necessary-climate-change">Continue reading...</a>EnvironmentClimate changeNuclear powerRenewable energyGreenhouse gas emissionsEnergyFri, 21 Dec 2012 13:08:18 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/21/nuclear-power-necessary-climate-changePhotograph: Michael Buholzer/ReutersA reactor, fuel rods and water pool at a nuclear power plant in Leibstadt, Swizaland. Photograph: Michael Buholzer/ReutersPhotograph: Michael Buholzer/ReutersA reactor, fuel rods and water pool at a nuclear power plant in Leibstadt, Swizaland. Photograph: Michael Buholzer/ReutersGrantham Institute, Imperial College London2012-12-21T13:08:18ZWhat is thorium and how does it generate power?https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/nov/01/what-is-thorium-nuclear-power
This Q&amp;A is part of the Guardian's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/series/the-ultimate-climate-change-faq" title="">ultimate climate change FAQ</a><br /><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/series/the-ultimate-climate-change-faq" title="">See all questions and answers</a><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/nov/05/ultimate-climate-change-faq" title="">Read about the project</a><p>Thorium is a radioactive chemical element that could in theory be used to generate large quantities of low-carbon electricity in future decades. Compared to the uranium that powers today's nuclear plants, thorium is more abundant and widely distributed in the Earth's crust. It also offers various safety benefits over uranium: it's not prone to runaway chain reactions that can lead to nuclear disasters; its waste products remains dangerous for a much shorter period; and its byproducts aren't useful for making nuclear weapons. In addition, thorium reactors could theoretically be used to burn up the dangerous plutonium stored in existing nuclear waste stockpiles.</p><p>There are various different ways that thorium can – or could – be used to generate energy. A plant being developed in India uses solid thorium fuel in water-cooled reactors similar to those found in today's uranium-based power plants. A completely different approach <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2011/feb/16/china-nuclear-thorium" title="">being explored in China</a> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2011/sep/09/thorium-weinberg-foundation" title="">and America</a> is the liquid fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR or "lifter"). This technology was developed to prototype stage by the American government in the 1960s but was then shelved in favour of uranium – possibly because it didn't go hand-in-hand with weapons production. Advocates of this technology argue that its potential is far greater than the water-cooled approach, partly because LFTRs could extract a higher proportion of energy from the thorium fuel.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/nov/01/what-is-thorium-nuclear-power">Continue reading...</a>Nuclear powerEnergyNuclear wasteEnvironmentIndiaWorld newsEnergy industryBusinessClimate changeClimate changeScienceEnergyTechnologyTue, 01 Nov 2011 16:09:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/nov/01/what-is-thorium-nuclear-powerPhotograph: Pallava Bagla/CorbisThorium pellets at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai, India. Photograph: Pallava Bagla/CorbisPhotograph: Pallava Bagla/CorbisThorium pellets at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai, India. Photograph: Pallava Bagla/CorbisDuncan Clark2011-11-01T16:09:00Z